Does Your Sales and Marketing Business Planning Process look like this?
If your sales and marketing business planning process follows the one shown on the right then is that a problem?
Planning might not be necessary for your business
When you can put forward a very good case that your business can operate effectively without improved planning.
- If your company is already highly profitable and achieving the growth that you require
- You are operating in both an efficient and effective manner
- Has a clear insight as to how the business will be performing within its existing and new markets over the next few years
Planning might not be necessary if you already have a highly effective sales process
If you have an excellent sales conversion ratio from proposals submitted to business won. Plus if you have already have a constant stream of interested prospects beating a path to your door for you to quote on providing your product or service then potentially there is no need for you to change your approach.
Planning might not be necessary if your marketing ROI is high
Now if you are the type of company that measures the performance of all its sales and marketing activities in order to maximise the ROI.
If you know exactly what you are going to do from a sales and marketing perspective and are already setting specific activities, clear budgets and identifying expected outcomes. Then your current approach seems fine.
However
Are you 100% confident that the money and time you are spending on sales and marketing activities is working as effectively as it could.
The benefits of proper planning to tactical activities
| Marketing / Promotional Activity | Typical issues when planning poor | Improvements Achieved When Specialist Planning Initiated |
| Advertising in printed publications (trade magazines / directories / newspapers) | Money wasted, no ability to measure or track, lost sales opportunities | Adverts placed in the correct publications, with correct messages generate more enquiries |
| Trade exhibitions | Money wasted, fewer and lower quality leads | Increased exposure for the same money, more leads and improved follow up |
| Brochures, folders, leaflets and even business cards | You end up with “Pretty” documents that actually serve little purpose in gaining customers | Printed materials suddenly gain a purpose and generate greater interest |
| Your website | Missed opportunities for lead acquisition and customer interaction | Attracts higher volumes of interested enquiries and demonstrates increased credibility |
| Any online advertising – Google ad words or Facebook advertising | Wasted money – Its called Google Tax for a reason – i.e. its there to penalise those who do it badly | 40% budget savings typically ppossible with significant increases in click throughs |
| Discounts or special offers | Lost profit | No more wasted promotions that lose you money |
| E mail marketing | Missed opportunities, poor opening rates | When implemented correctly high open rates (50%) and great engagement |
The benefits of Sales and Marketing Business planning at a strategic level
This is where the major benefit of proper planning is obtained. More on this in the next post.
So if your planning process is lacking detail and matches the picture on the right give Andrew Goode a call on 01733 361729 and request a “Strategic Chat” it could start to help in the journey to increased profitable sales.
For more information on marketing click here
To contact a marketing and sales professional click here